'No viable replacements for players'

PCB chief believes Champions Cup will strengthen domestic cricket

LAHORE:

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi expressed concern over the lack of depth in Pakistan's cricket setup, stating there are no viable replacements for underperforming players in the current system.

Following Pakistan's historic Test loss to Bangladesh, Naqvi introduced mentors for the Champions Cup, confident it will develop talent for the national team.

He emphasized that the selection committee lacks a solid players' pool, likening the situation to needing the right tools for surgery.

"The problem is the selection committee has no pool to turn to from which to select players," he said. "I spoke of surgery because we need to fix our problems. But when we look at how to resolve them, we don't have any solid data or player pool which we can draw from," said Naqvi.

"The whole system was a mess. The Champions Cup will produce great talent, and we'll have records for the games that happen. For surgery, you need all the tools to perform it."

Naqvi believes the Champions Cup, aided by AI in selecting 150 players, will strengthen domestic cricket and provide transparent records for future selections.

"We had a lot of players for which we didn't have records," Naqvi said. "This Cup will make domestic cricket strong, we'll have a pool of 150 players, and then the surgery we need to be done, the selection committee will do. People said 'do it all today, slit the throats of four-five players, and get rid of them'. You can't dump someone unless you have a better one to replace them.

"These 150 players that have been selected, 80% of it has been done by AI (Artificial intelligence), and 20% using humans. Nobody can challenge that. We gave about 20% weightage to our selection committee. If we replace a player with a worse one, you'll be the first to complain. We'll have records and we'll all be able to see transparently who deserves a place in the team."

"The Champions Cup will end in September, and then there will be records for everyone," Naqvi said. "Anyone who isn't performing will be immediately replaced. It shouldn't come down to anyone's individual opinions and wishes."

He defended the selection committee, attributing the decision to not play a frontline spinner in the Rawalpindi Test to the captain and team management.

"Losing to Bangladesh is sad but the selection committee had given the team 17 players. If the coach or captain aren't playing some of them, that's their decision. The team management may have made a mistake, but that has nothing to do with the selection committee."

The second Test, crucial for Pakistan to avoid a series loss, is set for August 30 to September 3 in Rawalpindi.

Imran Khan questions PCB chief's credentials

Former Pakistan cricket captain and ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan has criticised Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi following the national team's humiliating 10-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in the first Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Khan expressed his disappointment over the team's recent poor performances. He reminded fans of Pakistan's historic 10-wicket win over India in the 2021 T20 World Cup, questioning as to how the team that achieved such a feat had fallen to a new low.

In a message shared on his X account, Khan criticised the PCB chief, accusing him of contributing to the team's downfall.

He highlighted Pakistan's disappointing campaigns in the 2023 Cricket World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup, where the team failed to reach the top four and top eight, respectively.

"For the first time, we (Pakistan) didn't make it to the top four in the World Cup or the top eight in T20. And yesterday, we faced an embarrassing defeat against Bangladesh, setting a new low. Just two-and-a-half years ago, this team had defeated India by 10 wickets. What has happened in these two-and-a-half years that we lost to Bangladesh by 10 wickets?" Khan wrote on X.

The defeat has extended Pakistan's winless streak in Test matches on home soil to nine games.

The team's last victory in a home Test came in February 2021 against South Africa. Since then, Pakistan has lost a series to Australia, been whitewashed by England, and drawn a series against New Zealand, culminating in this recent embarrassing defeat to Bangladesh.